Changeable price indicator



l1gl, 1961 A. H. BERGIER ETAL 2,994,147

CHANGEABLE PRICE INDICATOR Filed June 25, 1958 [31 51 55 31m asINVENTORS ,4p/Yao fr. 5696/6@ /Vfwr//Y UMA/mfr United States Patent O2,994,147 CHANGEABLE PRICE INDICATQR Arnold Henry Bergier, New York, andMartin Umanoli', Huntington, N.Y., assgnors, by mesne assignments, toLeonard Cole, North Haven, Conn.

Filed June 25, 1958, Ser. No. 744,551 1 Claim. (Cl. 413-86) Thisinvention relates generally to sign exhibitors, and has particularreference to a changeable price indicator for use in retailestablishments,

It is a general object of the invention to provide an improved andtime-saving means for designating the prices of commodities displayed instores, especially selfservice markets. A more particular objective isto achieve this result by means of a simple and conveniently usabledevice which is attractive in appearance and inexpensive to manufacture`and is provided with means whereby any of a large variety of priceindications may be displayed.

One of the features of the improved device is an improved means forreadily attaching it to a vertical support, especially (if desired) tothe grooved molding commonly mounted on the front edges of store shelvesto hold price cards. It is common practice in super-markets and similarestablishments to price-mark products on display by clamping selectedcards within a molding of this kind. The placement and replacement ofsuch cards is a timeconsuming and costly procedure, since it requiresthat a large assortment of cards be kept constantly on hand, andinvolves much handling and rehandling of the cards as a result of whichthey are readily soiled and damaged, or lost. An objective of thisinvention is to supplant this unsatisfactory system by the provision anduse of a device which remains clean and effective for indeiinitely longperiods, and which is so constructed that the prices to be displayed maybe rapidly and expeditiously changed by authorized personnel as often asmay be desired without any storage or replacement of cards or tickets,or other problems of the type heretofore encountered.

The improved price indicator consists essentially of a chamber having afront vertical window, and a series of spindles arranged in parallelpairs within the chamber, there being a ribbon (with price indicia onone face) wound on each spindle pair and extending from one to the otheralong a span lying directly behind the window and visible through it.The features of the invention include the simplied and low-cost mannerin which the chamber `and its enclosed parts are made and assembled, theimproved and eicient way in which the device may be supported, and theease with which the price-indicating display may be altered.

The preferred way of achieving the objects and benefits of theinvention, and such other objects and advantages as may hereinafterappear or be pointed out, is illustratively exemplied in the deviceshown in the accompanying drawings, in which- FIG. l is a frontelevational view of a price indicator of the improved type, shown inoperative position within a molding on the front edge of a shelf;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is `an enlarged horizontal cross-sectional view along the line3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are enlarged vertical cross-sectional views along thelines 4-4 and 5 5, respectively, of FIG. l;

FIG. 6 is an extended view of the assembly of a pair of spindles and theribbon to be wound thereon; and

FIGS. 7 and 8 are cross-sectional views along the lines 7--7 and 8-8,respectively, of FIG. 6.

The indicator chosen for illustration has been shown supported inclamped relation between the opposed grooves 10 of a metal molding strip11 of conventional kind, secured by screws or other fasteners 12 (FIG.4) to the front edge of a shelf 13. This is the type of molding withinwhich separate numbered cards or tickets are commonly supported forprice-indicating purposes.

The device shown comprises a chamber having a substantially rectangularfront vertical window 14, top and bottom walls arranged in parallelhorizontal planes, end Walls 15, and a rear wall 16 parallel to thewindow 14. The top and bottom walls are provided with aligned circularapertures dening bearings for a series of spindles 17 arranged inparallel pairs within the chamber. For convenience of manufacture andassembly, the bearings in the top and bottom Walls are formed alonglines of cleavage 18 (see FIGS. 2 and 3), i.e., the rear part 1.9 of thetop wall (FIG. 2) and the rear part 20 of the bottom wall (FIG. 3) areformed as a unit with the rear wall 16, while the front part 21 of thetop wall and the front part 22 of the bottom wall are formed as a unitwith the front window 14. The front edges of the rear parts 19 and 20are provided with semi-circular notches which register with similarlypositioned notches in the rear edges of the front parts 21 and 22, toform the bearings for the spindles 17.

The rear wall 16 has lateral extensions 23 projecting beyond the endwalls 15. These end walls 15 are preferably forrned as a unit with thewindow 14. They need not necessarily extend rearwardly at right anglesto the front window 14 but may if desired diverge or curve rearwardly.At their rear ends they are formed with lateral parts 24 which lieflatwise over the rear wall extensions 23 and are secured thereto byeyelets 25. If desired, the parts 24 may extend beyond the extensions23, as best indicated in FIG. 1 and at the left of FIG. 3, to defineareas on which trademarks or other indicia may be displayed.

It is not necessary that there be any transparency in any wall otherthan the front window 14, but it may be convenient to make the unitconsisting of the parts 14, 15, 21, 22 and 24 of a single piece ofmolded transparent glass or plastic.

As stated, the spindle 17 are provided in pairs. In the device shownthere are three such pairs. In FIGS. 6-8 a pair of spindles, with theribbon associated with them, are shown by themselves. Each spindle has afiat body 26 and opposite circular spindle ends 27. Adjacent to each endis a ange or enlargement 28 defining a kind of washer. The entirespindle may be formed of a single molded piece of appropriate plastic.The length is such that when the spindle is journaled in the paralleltop and bottom walls of the chamber (see FIG. 4) the flanges 28 will liein contact with the inner faces of the supporting walls and the endsurfaces of the spindle ends 27 will be llush with the outer faces ofthese walls. Accidental contacts with the spindle ends are thus avoided,and tampering by unauthorized persons is made somewhat diicult. Forauthorized personnel, however, the spindle end (at at least one end) isformed so as to be engageable for rotation from the exterior of thechamber. For this purpose the spindles shown are provided with slotsdesigned to receive the end of la small screw driver. Obviously specialformations engageable only by special keys or tools may be employed ifdesired.

A ribbon 29 is secured at its opposite ends to the spindles of eachpair. As best shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, an ordinary staple 30 may be usedfor this purpose. The ribbon may be of any suitable material and of anyco-nvenient length. On its exposed face it is provided with priceindicia 31. The ribbon is wound upon the spindles so as to extend fromone to the other along a span which lies parallel to and directly behindthe window 14, as shown at 32 in FIGS. 3 and 4.

In assembling the device, each pair of spindles 17 is first associatedwith a ribbon 29 as shown. These pairs are then inserted into properparallel disposition Within the rear parts 19 and Ztl at the top andbottom Walls, and the front part of the chamber is then brought intoposition and the eyelets or similar fasteners 25 are applied to securethe parts in firmly closed relationship. In this condition the chambercompletely enclo-ses the parallel pairs of spindles thus protecting themand the ribbons they carry. Soiling and deterioration from exposure arethus electively guarded against.

To secure the device to a vertical support, nails or screws or otherfasteners may be caused to extend through the eyelets 25 or throughother parts of the lateral Wings dened by the overlying parts 23, 24. inorder to permit the application of the device to a molding 11 of thegrooved type shown, a clamping element 33 in the form of -a dat metalstrip may be pivoted to the eyelet 25 so that it may be moved betweenthe dotted and full-line positions indicated at the right end of FIG. l.In the full-line position the element 33 projects laterally from theattachment Wing which carries it so that it may be brought into clampingengagement with the adjacent groove of the molding 11 (see FIG. 4). Asecond similar element 34 is secured in position between the overlyingparts 23, 24 and projects laterally in the opposite direction forengagement With the opposite groove 1t). The element 34 need not bemovably supported.

In order for the displayed ribbon spans 32 to be eiective to maximumdegree, it is desirable that the Window 14 be provided with relativelyopaque areas between the regions directly in front of the spans 32. Oneconvenient Way of doing this is to roughen or knurl the front face ofthe window 14 as shown in the areas 35. This effectively conceals thespindle mountings and makes the displayed indicia appear as though therewere separate cards involved.

The alteration of the display is relatively simple, as will beunderstood, since it is merely necessary to rotate any selectedappropriate spindle to Withdraw the displayed marking and replace it byanother. This can be done quickly Without dismounting or dismantling thedevice, and requires no cumbersome or time-consuming handling of cardsor other costly and ineihcient procedure.

Obviously, there may be fewer or more than three pairs of spindles.Also, under certain circumstances the spindles might be arranged withtheir axes horizontal and the device might be mounted with its long axisvertical. Also, the rear wall might be omitted, and the bearings for thespindles might be formed in other Ways. It is to be understood thatthese and other changes in the design and arrangement of the parts maybe made by those skilled in the art Without necessarily departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appendedclaim.

What is claimed is:

In a changeable price indicator, a chamber having a front verticalwindow and parallel top and bottom walls, said Walls having alignedopening-s defining spindle bearings, `at least one pair of spindleswithin said chamber and journaled in said bearings, and anindicia-bearing ribbon Wound on the spindles and extending from one tothe other along a span directly behind said window, said chamber beingformed of two parts abutting along a vertical plane bisecting saidspindle bearings, said chamber parts having overlying areas definingWings extending laterally from the rear of the chamber, and providedwith means which hold said parts together.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,472,193 Poirier Oct. 30, 1923 1,473,035 Gottfried Nov. 6, 19232,334,083 Greenwald et al Nov. 9, 1943 2,765,553 Audette Oct, 9, 19562,787,433 Slavsky Apr. 2, 1957

